More Than This
by bookw0rmy
Summary: Nico is a little too quiet and a little too in love, but thankfully Percy can be smart, at times.


**Hey guys, but forgive me if there are any horrid typos. ****Oh yeah the song is More Than This by 1D and I don't own the song or the characters. You can still read even if the band isn't your in your musical forte.**  


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Nico trudged through his everyday camp activities and training, everything seemed dull and pointless. He looked down at his ridiculously bright orange shirt and took it off, donning only his black undershirt. He didn't see why he had to wear this dumb shirt everywhere, not to mention it wasn't even his. He looked across the fields to the owner of said dumb shirt. The boy was gracefully sword fighting with an sure to be crushed opponent. Nico's heart gave a little squeeze and he sighed, giving up, and sitting down under the tree he was under and started to watch the sword practice knowing that he was going to regret this later.

_I'm broken, do you hear me?_

_I'm blinded, 'cause you are everything I see,_

_I'm dancin' alone, I'm praying,_

_That your heart will just turn around,_

That night Nico jolted awake from a terrible nightmare, as he liked to think it was. Truth be told, it wasn't a nightmare, but a dream he wish would come true. His love was the star of this dream and tonight it felt so real, so right, he felt the shiver of warmth of his loved one next to him in his bed. He felt the sly arm of his dream lover wrap around his waist and pull him close as they both just laid there in each other's company. Nico turned over to face the ceiling of his cabin and sighed, for the second time today, in giving up. He laid there and imagined the famous son of Poseidon as the big spoon, like in his dream, and indulged in the happiness that at least he could imagine this at night in the privacy of his bed. He fell asleep not sure whether or not he was wise to pray to the Gods that his heart's desire to come true.

_And as I walk up to your door,_

_My head turns to face the floor,_

'_Cause I can't look you in the eyes and say,_

Last night was blissful, but a horrible way to torture himself, Nico dwelled on. He exited his cabin after throwing on his shirt and went on his way to return the horrid orange one to Percy. The boy had told him to borrow it after Nico had said that he refused to purchase a new one after he had outgrown the one the gave him when he first arrived. He had told Percy that he didn't care about the rules and would do as he pleased and the next day, Nico had found the shirt folded with a note on it that said, "Nico, please. Just wear it." Nico had smiled when he found the note and shirt, but now that he looked at the shirt and frowned. He patted his pocket and felt the note and instantly felt soothed, yet even more nervous. He reached Percy's cabin just as the boy was leaving and Nico's heart did the squeezing thing again. Percy caught Nico's eye and smiled at him. Nico smiled back, unconvincingly, he later noted. Percy headed to Nico and instantly asked him what was wrong. Nico opened his mouth to finally tell Percy the truth. He had to. He looked Percy in his beautiful blue eyes and made up his mind, looked down, and said, "Nothing Percy, nothing at all" and handed him his shirt and turned around and left not once looking back.

_When she opens her arms and holds you close tonight,_

_It just won't feel right,_

'_Cause I can love you more than this, yeah,_

_When she lays you down,_

_I might just die inside,_

_It just don't feel right,_

'_Cause I can love you more than this,_

_Can love you more than this_

Nico immediately thought to turn back and tell him the truth. He wanted to turn back and tell Percy that every night his dreams of kept getting worse, or better, and it hurt like hell to see him with pretty miss wise girl. He hated having to see her run into his arms from across the way and launch herself on his lips in front of the whole camp. It wasn't right. He could do so much better than that. He knew that Percy loved attention of that kind, but he also knew that Percy would rather hold hands and smile, then wait for later for the kissing to begin. Nico also knew that at night on certain evenings that the "kissing" did happen and those nights were not good nights for Nico. He often wished the pain would just end, that it was over. Those nights when Annabeth didn't leave Percy's cabin were the nights Nico didn't think he could get through another night, much less another second.

_If I'm louder, would you see me?_

_Would you lay down_

_In my arms and rescue me?_

'_Cause we are the same_

_You save me,_

_When you leave it's gone again,_

The sound of a loud yelp filled the Camp and Percy, of course, was the first to find the source. Percy looked at Nico and knew that there was no time to ask for explanations. He picked Nico up and carried him bridal-style to the infirmary. Nico had hit his head badly on a cluster of rocks, while trying to do Gods know what. There was blood everywhere and Percy was freaking out while waiting for Nico to wake up. Percy asked to take Nico to his cabin and the medics agreed. They said Nico would be okay. They said he just needed rest, but they would check on him in the morning.

_And when I see you on the street,_

_In her arms, I get weak,_

_My body fails, I'm on my knees,_

_Prayin',_

Percy carried Nico, in the same way, to his cabin and laid him down on his bed. He then paced back and forth for a while, before finding a book on the floor. He opened it and there were things taped in it. The Hades figurine Bianca had told Percy to give to Nico, a photo strip of him and Nico, the note he'd had given Nico when he had let borrow his camp shirt that Nico had returned in spite of his pleas for Nico to keep it, and finally a sketch of his face. Every feature of his face was there, every curve, every blemish that Percy didn't even know he had. He looked at the sleeping boy on the bed and sighed for the first time in understanding. He went to Nico and laid next to him and swept the hair from the boy's face, then put his arm around Nico and pulled him closer and fell asleep hoping to the Gods that he wasn't wrong.

_I've never had the words to say,_

_But now I'm askin' you to stay_

_For a little while inside my arms,_

_And as you close your eyes tonight,_

_I pray that you will see the light,_

_That's shining from the stars above._


End file.
